The Little Red Dress

When I was about 10 years old, my mother told me this story about an event that occurred when I was about 3 years old.

She said that I was a surprise pregnancy. Her thoughts were that she felt that she had her complete family after both my brother and my sister, a boy and a girl, were born. My brother was 6 and my sister was 2 when I was born. She said that I was a good baby and did not present any problems.

Now she related to me about an incident that happened when I was about 3 years old. We lived in a 2 flat building with a laundry in the basement. One morning when she was going to do the laundry, she noticed that she had no clean clothes for me to wear. My sister who is now 5 had some of her baby clothing available. My mother thought there was a red dress that would fit me, until my laundry was finished.She then put the red dress on me, because I would not know the difference anyway. Also there would be no one there to see me, because my sister was in kindergarten.

While she busy with laundry, some how I was able to get out of the house. She just said that when she got upstairs, I was gone. She quickly went out side and there was no one there in the yard She proceeded to the street in front, and looking up and down, but she saw no one.

What a dilemma. Where should she look? Which direction should she go? We lived a short distance from 16th street which was a busy road on the left. So far she still saw no one. Her decision was to go left to the main street. A short distance from the corner was a local grocery store. She decided to go there first. Her thoughts were that she would find some one to talk to. She would have to ask if any one saw a little boy in a red dress. There was no other way to say it. She entered the store, what a surprise. She saw me, red dress and all, sitting there on a cracker barrel with a face smeared with chocolate. I imagine in her embarrassment, she did not have much to say except, "Thank You." What a frightful experience to go through.
She picked me up and we went home.

It was several years later when I was older, my mother told me this story. I do not know if she ever told that story to any one else.

My Father's First Car

The year is 1925, and I'm 5 years old. My father went to a car dealer and with cash in hand he bought a 1919 model T Ford. That was the year I was born. He paid for the car and the dealer gave him the keys. After a few instructions, he told him to drive it home. There were only a few cars on the road, because there were only horse and buggy era.
Well there was no gas peddle. The throttle was a lever in the middle of the steering wheel. It had no starter. It had a crank that had to be turned by hand.It was hanging in front right behind the bumper. In my curiosity I reached over the bumper, lost my balance, hit my chin on the crank, cut my skin, and went home bleeding.

My father would service the car including greasing the wheels. On one occasion he forgot to put the cotter pin in. We were on our way home from Fox Lake with my Grandma. The cotter pin was missing from the right rear wheel. The wheel came off and the car tipped; sliding on the axle. My poor Grandmother was being squished into the corner of the car. Luckily, the car finally stopped in front of an auto repair shop. Thankfully the service man was in. On a Sunday! He told my brother to go get the wheel which rolled across the road. He looked at the axle,and he said there was enough tread left. So he was able to put the wheel back on this time with the cotter pin, and we continued on our way home.

Earlier that day we went to mass. Our angels were working overtime.